Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including cracks appeared in Ukraine’s defenses as Russian forces continued to make advances; A Colorado district attorney concluded human error, not criminal fraud, caused anomalies identified in an election audit; The Senate passed a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine, and more.

National

Senate approves $40 billion aid package for Ukraine

Nearly four months into Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine, the Senate approved a $40 billion bill to supply the former Soviet nation with military, humanitarian and economic aid.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington on May 18, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Regional

Mesa County DA finds human error behind election audit used to prop up fraud claims

Following a criminal investigation, the Mesa County, Colorado, District Attorney’s Office concluded human error, not criminal fraud, caused anomalies identified in an election audit used to prop up county elections chief Tina Peters’ claims of voter fraud.

In this still from security footage captured on Oct. 21, 2020, Mesa County elections manager Sandra Brown swaps out of computer during the 2020 election while troubleshooting a technical issue (Mesa County District Attorney's Office)

International

More Ukrainian troops surrender, cracks show in Ukraine defenses and West’s resolve

Cracks are appearing in Ukraine’s defenses in the eastern part of the country as Russian forces continued to make advances on Thursday and hundreds of additional Ukrainian soldiers surrendered at Azovstal, a steelworks plant in Mariupol that has been under siege for weeks.

A woman walks past a crater from an explosion after Russian shelling in Soledar, Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

European rights court tosses challenge to mandatory health insurance

Europe’s top rights court ruled Thursday that a case brought by a man who does not want to purchase health insurance is not admissible, finding it lacks “seriousness, cohesion and importance.”

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. (hpgruesen/Pixabay via Courthouse News)

Science

Dolphins use coral reefs to treat skin ailments

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins repair skin and stay healthy by repeatedly rubbing up against corals that have natural medicinal properties, according to new research.

A group of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia. (Madison Miketa/Shark Bay Dolphin Project/National Science Foundation)

From the Wires

Grand jury indicts man in Buffalo supermarket shooting

The white man charged with murdering 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo appeared briefly in court Thursday after a grand jury indicted him on a first-degree murder charge.

Payton Gendron appears during his arraignment in Buffalo City Court, Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. (Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News via AP)

German intel chief says espionage at Cold War levels

The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence service said Thursday that levels of espionage are as high as during the Cold War, or even higher.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, front left, is led to her seat by Thomas Haldenwang, front right, president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, at the 18th Symposium of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, May 19, 2022. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)

FDA head: Baby formula factory could reopen by next week

The head of the Food and Drug Administration told lawmakers Thursday that a shuttered baby formula factory could be up and running as soon as next week, though he sidestepped questions about whether his agency should have intervened earlier to address problems at the plant that triggered the national shortage.

Infant formula is stacked on a table during a baby formula drive to help with the shortage on May 14, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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